The imperial envoy Luo Jun stood in front of the county governor's house and told the county captain Feng You, "Master Feng, I have a long way to go here. I will leave all the affairs of Yue County to Master Feng. Master Feng, the burden on your shoulders is not light." ah."
Feng Chan repeatedly said humbly, "Master Luo, what are you talking about? This is a matter within my official duties. Please rest assured, Master Luo."
Just as everyone was sorting out the team at the city gate and setting off, a scout flying cavalry ran from a distance. The man stepped forward and dismounted, and sent a battle report to the leader, Luo Jun.
Luo Jun opened the battle report and took a quick look, his face changed slightly. Everyone knew from the imperial envoy's face that something was serious.
Luo Jun handed the battle report to Fu Bao and Feng Zong for them to read. After reading it, Fu Bao bowed directly to the imperial envoy Luo Jun and said, "Sir Luo, I know a thing or two about the local situation. The overall situation is of paramount importance. I would like to ask the imperial envoy to give me permission." The temporary official will be reinstated, and it will not be too late to return to Beijing to report on his duties after the rebellion is suppressed."
Fu Bao is keenly aware that this is an opportunity to make a difference.
Luo Jun knew that the situation was urgent and agreed without much thought: "Okay! Master Fu, we will go back to the county government immediately to discuss countermeasures..."
In fact, before the formal appointment and dismissal documents were issued by the imperial court, Fu Bao was still nominally the governor of Yue County. The imperial envoys who inspected local areas were only temporarily using the arbitrary power granted by the imperial court.
When they returned to the Sheriff's Mansion, everyone knew what had happened.
The general meaning of the battle report is that in the southeast of Yue County, the Southern Barbarians headed by the Xi tribe invaded Yue County, burned, killed, and looted. They had conquered four counties in a row. Their troops were directed at Qucheng, the seat of Yue County. According to scouts, the enemy had at least 30,000 people. Centaur...
Everyone gasped after hearing this. There are only 2,000 people in the county now. As a border county, in addition to garrison troops, there are also more than 10,000 standing field troops. However, this takes time to recruit troops from various counties. Rally.
Luo Jun, Fu Bao, Feng Yu and others were already wearing armor and gathered around the sand table to analyze the enemy's situation.
Fu Bao said, "This Xi tribe is the largest southern barbarian tribe in southern Xinjiang. It often conflicts with the border people of our country. The Xi tribe has lived in the virgin forest all year round and is very good at fighting in the mountains. This time it is strange. They actually started to attack cities and seize territory. It's really It doesn’t make sense. The only advantage our army has now is that its weapons and armor are superior to those of the Southern Barbarians..."
County Lieutenant Feng Zhu pointed to a corner of the map and said to Fu Bao, "Master Fu, the scouts are here to report that the main force of the thieves is entrenched here and besieging Qu County. If you capture Qu County, you can go straight to Qucheng, the capital of Yue County, without any hindrance. I don't think they have the strength to eat us. They probably want to surround us for reinforcements and consume our strength. Regardless of the strength of the thieves, relying on our army's sophisticated ordnance and our five thousand elite soldiers, they will be able to defeat them in one battle. .”
Fu Bao stroked his beard and thought for a while, then said, "Okay! Mr. Feng, I will give you six thousand troops just to be on the safe side. You are also a veteran on the battlefield. You must be cautious. If you are unable to defeat the enemy, withdraw your troops immediately. After the Fei Chong incident, I always felt When things go wrong, there must be monsters. This time, the Xi clansmen gathered so many people and actually attacked the city and captured the territory, which is unheard of."
The acting county governor Fu Bao took the tiger talisman and gave it to Feng Yan, telling him, "Master Feng, take the tiger talisman."
Feng Zun bowed and took the tiger talisman, then turned and left. Others could only wait in the lobby for good news from the front line.
Mu Sheng also stood in front of the sand table in armor and silently watched them perform war games and simulate battlefield situations. From time to time, scouts from outside the county governor's mansion came to report the battlefield situation.
Outside the city of Qu County, Feng Yu led 6,000 reinforcements and charged into the Xi army that was besieging Qu County. The shouts of killing were loud, and the melee between the two sides was in full swing. At this time, thousands of Jin troops relied on their strict military discipline. , with the advantage of armor, the Jin army still clearly had the upper hand on the battlefield.
At this time, a horn sounded from the Xi tribe's military formation, and the main force of the Xi tribe began to retreat slowly. Seeing this, Feng You did not pursue the victory, but immediately ordered the troops to retreat and clean up the team. He observed the complex hilly terrain and dense woods ahead. , did not underestimate the enemy's rash advance, his intuition from many years of fighting on the battlefield told him that the enemy must have a back-up plan.
Sure enough, a group of Southern barbarian light cavalry who had been lying in wait for a long time suddenly emerged from the woods on both sides. The horses of the Southern barbarian cavalry are shorter than those of northern horse breeds, and lack impact power and endurance. They belong to the southern short-footed horse breed, which is good at carrying and carrying, and has good combat capabilities. It cannot be compared with the northern cavalry, but it is also a big threat to the Jin army's formation, which currently lacks cavalry.
When Feng You saw the Southern Barbarians coming out of the cavalry, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately ordered the left and right wings to change formations. The Jin army's war drums sounded, and the soldiers heard the drums and changed their formations. The Jin army's sword and shield soldiers immediately moved to the left and right sides, raising their shields to form a square formation. Respond to the attack of the Southern Barbarian cavalry.
The Nanman light cavalry troops wore gorgeous feather crowns on their heads and painted their faces. Everyone shouted slogans and rode into battle shirtless.
When the Nanman light cavalry reached the Jin army a hundred steps ago, they began to divide their troops and change formations. Thousands of cavalry troops were divided into left and right groups, passing by the left and right wings of the Jin army who were waiting in full formation. Thousands of light cavalrymen raised their short bows and threw arrows into the sky, a wave of arrows. Rain fell like locusts on the Jin army's formation. Many soldiers in the Jin army's formation fell to the ground after being hit by arrows, and wailing could be heard everywhere.
The crossbowmen in the Jin army immediately returned the favor and fired a hail of arrows at the Southern Barbarian cavalry. Many of the Southern Barbarian cavalry cavalry screamed and were shot off their horses. Most of the Jin army had strong bows and powerful crossbows with advanced technology. The power is much more lethal than the Southern Barbarian crossbows. Fortunately, the Southern Barbarian light cavalry cannot charge into the formation and can only serve as a disturbance.
At this time, both sides of the main central army of the former tribe suddenly spread out, and the sound of beating drums and shouts could be heard endlessly in the formation of the southern barbarians. The wizards of the former tribe were wearing colorful clothes and chanting incantations silently. A row of bison rushed out, and the bison rushed towards the Jin army formation like black clouds to cooperate with the attack of the Qingqi of the Xi clan.
Seeing this, Feng Chu's face finally changed color. The drums in the Jin army's formation kept ringing. The Jin soldiers quickly changed their formations upon hearing the drums. The spearmen moved to the front, and the second row of crossbowmen kept throwing. The arrows prevented the buffalo herd from approaching the military formation. Although many buffalo were shot down on the charging road, many buffalo still charged forward desperately. The buffalo's eyes were red and they pretended to be crazy. It looked like they had been poisoned by the southern barbarian wizards. What kind of secret control?
Upon seeing this, the commander-in-chief Feng You made a quick decision and ordered his troops to retreat in an attempt to slowly withdraw from the battlefield. He felt that the people coming this time must be the elites of the former tribe, and the enemies were so numerous that he felt that he had no chance of winning.
Thanks to Feng's strict military management, the Jin army formed a square formation and slowly retreated. Although the Jin army was crumbling under the crazy impact of the buffalo formation, it was able to hold on. Feng You understood that if it could not withstand it, it would immediately It is a huge defeat, and if you are not careful, the entire army will be wiped out.
At this time, there was a burst of dust and smoke in front of him on the right, and thousands of Southern Barbarian troops appeared in an attempt to outflank his right wing. This time Feng Yu was really shocked, and immediately ordered to speed up the retreat, and Feng Yu personally led the army. He went with three hundred soldiers to support the right wing.
At this moment, reinforcements from the Jin army also arrived. Fu Bao, the governor of Yue County, was in the lead and led more than 5,000 fresh troops to the battlefield. He withstood the attack of the southern barbarian coalition forces. The Jin army faced more and more enemies. However, the army was not at all confused and retreated slowly.
At this time, the secret method of the Southern Barbarian Buffalo Formation gradually became ineffective. Thousands of bison were running around for their lives out of survival instinct, and they almost hit the Southern Barbarian Army Formation. Seeing that the Southern Barbarian Army could not take advantage, the attack slowed down. This battle The two sides almost reached a draw, so they each paid their money and retreated.
On the way back to Qucheng, County Lieutenant Feng Yan saluted Fu Bao with a fist in his hand and said gratefully, "If Master Fu hadn't rescued him in time, I would have really fallen here this time."
Fu Bao frowned. He recalled the battle just now and said to Feng Zhen, "You just suffered the loss of underestimating the enemy. I received a report from the scouts that the number of the Nanman troops was far more than 30,000, and there were traces of a large army marching." Moving closer to you, I sensed something was wrong, so I immediately decided to leave the city for reinforcements. This time the Southern Barbarian army is huge, and their attack and defense are meticulous. They are definitely not the motley army of the past that harassed the border."
Feng Pray nodded and said, "What Mr. Fu said is absolutely true. I have made some observations. This time the Xi tribe besieged Qu County and built a lot of siege equipment that is not inferior to that of the Central Plains. It is estimated that Qu County will not be able to hold on for long. We must hurry up." Request reinforcements from Zhuojun in the rear, it’s good to be able to defend Qucheng with our current strength.”
Fu Bao and Feng Yu returned to the lobby of Qucheng County Mansion with solemn expressions. Imperial Envoy Luo Jun saw the serious expressions of the two men and quickly asked how the war was going.
County Lieutenant Feng Chu pointed to the sand table and described the battle just now in detail to Luo Jun: "...the Southern Barbarian Alliance Army has many more people than we expected. All the soldiers and weapons accumulated in the Yue County Treasury earlier fell into the hands of the former tribesmen. Hands, we have captured some Xi tribesmen, and the weapons in their hands are all engraved with the names of the treasury. Needless to say, Fei Chong must have secretly encouraged the Nanman to attack the border of Yue County. Now we are very passive and can only go to Zhuo County Governor Zhang. Your Excellency is requesting reinforcements."
When the imperial envoy Luo Jun heard that the situation was so serious, he said, "It will take at least ten days for Zhuojun's reinforcements to reach here. Lord Feng, are you sure you can hold Qucheng?"
Feng prayed, "Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy, please rest assured that Qucheng is strong and there should be no problem in defending the city."
Under the arrangements of the county governor Fu Bao, everyone began to prepare to defend the city in full swing.
At this moment, the scouts came to report, "Report to Shangguan, Qu County has been captured..."
As soon as these words came out, needles could be heard in the lobby of the county government.
Fu Bao immediately stood up and gave an order to an officer: "Let the people outside the city enter the city immediately, and mobilize the people in the city to reinforce the city wall and prepare to hold on."
"No." The subordinate officer took the order and left...
County Lieutenant Feng Yan stared at the sand table for a long time and said, "Master Fu, when the tribe launched such a large-scale attack in the past, there must be a place nearby to store grain and transshipment. If this place can be burned down, the battle will be won."
Fu Bao stroked his beard and said, "Before the Xi tribe completely besieged the city, we sent out scouts to conduct reconnaissance. If there is any definite information, I will send a surprise force to raid."
Imperial envoy Luo Jun frowned and thought for a long time. He remembered what Fei Chong had done in Yue County and said, "Fei Chong is originally from Yue. He must be an important member of the local revival society. If it weren't for the remnants of the revival society secretly serving as guides, How could the southern barbarian army conquer five of our counties overnight?"
Fu Bao said in a deep voice, "Master Luo is right. The remnants of the Fuxing Society actually colluded with foreigners and plotted to restore the country. They really deserve to be killed."
At this moment, another scout came to the door and reported that the army of the Xi tribe had arrived twenty miles outside the city.
Fu Bao and others looked at each other in shock, thinking that the enemy was coming so quickly. They immediately left the governor's house. When they boarded the city tower, at a glance, they saw dust and smoke rising in the distance of Qucheng. The Southern Barbarian coalition troops were so densely packed that they blocked the sky and the sun. It seemed that they could not see at all. to the end.
Feng Zhu has been in the army for a long time. He can roughly judge how many people are coming from the Southern Barbarians at a glance. There must be at least 70,000 to 80,000 people. These Southern Barbarian troops in strange costumes and infantry squares are followed by tall siege ladders, siege hammers, and catapults. All the troops of the Southern Barbarians, including archers, infantry, and cavalry, lined up in neat lines like a torrent and slowly approached Qucheng.
At this time, Mu Sheng followed a group of high-ranking generals and stood on the top of the city. He supported the battlements and took a look. The Southern Barbarians were so powerful that his scalp felt numb.
At this moment, the fear in his heart was mixed with a little excitement. This was the first time that he faced a battlefield environment. Until now, he was convinced that facing such a huge army, even if he was highly trained, he would be powerless. There were so many ants that they could kill an elephant.
In actual ancient battlefields, personal bravery does not play a big role in the outcome of the war. Just like in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the generals can leave their names, and then each side sends a general to fight in a one-on-one battle. It can only be regarded as a drama, and the general's personal Bravery can only be used to boost morale. Actual fighting still depends on the general's ability to judge the battlefield environment and command and control, as well as the training level of the soldiers and whether they follow orders and prohibitions.
When Fu Bao, Feng Yu and other high-ranking officials in Yue County saw how powerful the troops of the Xi tribe were, their faces became ashen as water. It looked like there was going to be a tough battle. They did not stop until the barbarian army approached Qu City and was hundreds of steps away from the city. Next, I saw three light knights rushing out of the Nanman army formation and running towards the foot of Qucheng holding flags.
One of them stretched his bow and nocked an arrow and shot an arrow at the city tower. It must be a letter of surrender. Fu Bao took the letter of surrender handed over by the soldiers, glanced at it and threw it aside. Then he ordered the soldiers to shout to the bottom of the city, "We must fight." Just fight" and ignore it.
A quarter of an hour later, the sound of drums and trumpets came from the barbarian army, which seemed to be mobilizing before the war. An hour later, the barbarian army lined up in a neat square formation, surrounded by three and one missing, and gradually surrounded Qucheng.
The siege equipment behind the southern barbarian army formation gradually moved closer to the city wall under the push of the soldiers. The horns sounded from the barbarian army. The enemy formation began to move and the siege battle began. Mu Sheng, as a disciple of Guo Huan, He was a monk again, and he had good combat prowess, so he naturally had to be temporarily incorporated into the city defense army to participate in the battle. At this moment, his palms were sweating, and he nervously held the sword in his hand, staring at the movements of the southern barbarian army in front.
